Every individual investor strives to make the best possible stock investment decisions. New investors may have a limited knowledge of how the stock market functions. Studying the basics and accumulating as much knowledge as possible can help the investor create a cornerstone for future success. Everybody has to start somewhere, but continually adding to the market education pool might help the investor see something that they might not have noticed before. Taking a view of the stock market from various angles can help build a more robust databank from which to work from. Because market environments are always shifting, investors may need to do a little extra homework in order to stay ahead of the curve.

Turning to Return on Assets or ROA, CEL (CEL.AX) has a current ROA of -22.49. This is a profitability ratio that measures net income generated from total company assets during a given period. This ratio reveals how quick a company can turn it’s assets into profits. In other words, the ratio provides insight into the profitability of a firm’s assets. The ratio is calculated by dividing total net income by the average total assets.

A higher ROA compared to peers in the same industry, would suggest that company management is able to effectively generate profits from their assets. Similar to the other ratios, a lower number might raise red flags about management’s ability when compared to other companies in a similar sector.

Now let’s take a look at how the fundamentals are stacking up for CEL (CEL.AX). Fundamental analysis takes into consideration market, industry and stock conditions to help determine if the shares are correctly valued.

One indicator that can help investors determine if a stock might be a quality investment is the Return on Equity or ROE. CEL (CEL.AX) currently has Return on Equity of -28.28. ROE is a ratio that measures profits generated from the investments received from shareholders.

In other words, the ratio reveals how effective the firm is at turning shareholder investment into company profits. A company with high ROE typically reflects well on management and how well a company is run at a high level. A firm with a lower ROE might encourage potential investors to dig further to see why profits aren’t being generated from shareholder money.

Occasionally, investors will find themselves looking at an underperforming portfolio. Sometimes, this may be a case of the portfolio not being properly diversified. Investing too heavily in one stock or sector can cause the balance to tip the wrong way, especially if the overall market takes a downturn. Although there is no one way to protect against tough economic conditions, setting up the portfolio to withstand a prolonged sluggish period can help ease the mind of the investor when markets are in turmoil. Maintaining a large mix of different types of stocks may help the portfolio survive through rough patches down the line.